Dissipated Tears
by Emorial
Summary: Looking up, she could see a smile spread across his lips; a smile she had never seen before on him. Painful. Spoilers. One-shot. Fang/Lotti.


ARGH! That chapter. You don't know how much I _cried_ during that thing! Damn you, Mochizuki - sensei! Damn you!  
But anyway, I hope you enjoy this. I had the urge to create something for this, so hopefully I did well.

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He was the lucky one, wasn't he?

Being granted the path of death which seemed impossible for the Baskervilles. Eternal peace and rest at the slice of a sword. His job was done, and there wasn't anything that could be done to bring him back; nor would there be any attempt to do so. Maybe it was how they'd all end after this trial for their master had ended.

"I bet you're glad you don't even have to work anymore, you slacker."

Bitter words left the dry lips of the woman clad in pink. Deep, pink oculars peered at the ground where the man had disappeared from in front of those very same eyes just days ago. Wasn't it all just a dream that he dissipated into nothing, as if that wound was a blessing in disguise? Perhaps not. Even Lotti knew that the call of her own heart wanting it to be true wouldn't do anything but cause aching pain to her and the companions around her.

Dirt slid from under her red heels as she knelt down, letting the tips of her fingers rest upon the withered earth, a place that had left a deep imprint on her heart despite the shallow ending. Drops fell onto the soil, soaking the instant the particles felt the moist caressing of the water falling from above. Was it raining? To her knowledge, it showed no signs of storms for the entire day. Then why…

A sharp intake of breath; realization sunk in to the pits of her stomach.

"Even if you were a coward and saved Lily from that bastard by taking the easy way out," she muttered, dipping her head a fraction lower. "Why.. Why can't I stop crying?"

Wasn't it better that he was gone? Keeping someone around who just got in the way of slashes instead of blocking them would be a hindrance to their plans. There wasn't a need to cry for some man who let his life go so carelessly when he should have been on guard the full fight. Yet there had to be some other reason as to why she was showing such weakness in the middle of an open area?

"Devotion."

Eyes widened as the woman jumped back into the trees from the spot. Peeking from around the trunk, she narrowed her eyes. Nobody was there, not even a slight feeling of any eavesdroppers. Heaving a sigh, she closed her eyes, moving to push herself from the tree and get sight of her direction to head back. She didn't get far before stopping, her face changing to that of a pained expression.

"It's been a few days, hasn't it, Lotti..?" The man's voice was low, a smile on his rough face as he looked down to the Baskerville.

"No.. You're," her voice wavered, holding back the tears that had been so easily slipped earlier. "You're supposed to be dead, Fang! Why are you here?"

"I wonder," he mused, giving a playful smile to her before reaching to move bangs from her face. Nothing happened. "Simply to answer your final question about me. It'd be unfair to leave it unanswered, wouldn't it?"

It didn't make sense. There he was, standing in front of her as plain as day, yet his hands went through her as if it was just a hallucination. Even his voice that had resounded in her heart the days of his living no longer caressed her in a comforting hold. And yet, she couldn't help but believe that the more she stared at him, the more he was there standing with her.

"You called me a coward, right?" A pause filled the air before a light laugh echoed endlessly through the trees, ricocheting off the endless canopies. "I couldn't leave you and Lily to die in my place, now, could I?"

Wind bellowed through the area, colliding with the woman as she stared in awe. The figure before her didn't warp, didn't shiver, didn't move. He wasn't serious, was he? Perhaps this really was some sick joke being played by someone around the area who had witnessed the whole ordeal. Her fists clenched tight as her eyes narrowed.

"You're telling me you let yourself die to protect me and that brat who messed everything up?"

"Nothing else I'd be saying at a time like this." That mocking voice bugged her, but she did nothing but endure it.

"Why..? You're such an idiot! We could have all gotten away!"

Looking up, she could see a smile spread across his lips; a smile she had never seen before on him. Painful. It made her chest feel all the tighter to make him smile like that. _Stop it.. Stop it! Stop looking at me with that expression, dammit!_

Thoughts pooled over into her eyes, a hot feeling spreading through her body as she continued to stare. A low chuckle. That was all she was given after that kind of an expression? _That bastard. He's making a fool out of me, isn't he? _Opening her mouth, she began to speak. Her words didn't get far from her throat as she felt a warm aura wrapped around her.

"If I hadn't done that, they would have caught all of us," he spoke calmly, keeping her in his arms the best he could to comfort her. "Better to let you grab Lily and run than have me slow you down."

"I see," she murmured, her eyes easing as she stood there. "One for the price of two so we could keep helping Master Glen. The last devotion you could give."

"You understand now, huh?" He pulled back, leaving an arm around her as he scratched the side of his tattooed cheek. A grin plastered on his lips as his eyes closed. That tilt in his head always appearing when he made one of those expressions; nobody else could imitate them as hard as they tried.

"Thank you."

Her words were low, barely rolling off the tip of her tongue. "Keep going strong like the others. Don't let my death go in vain," he whispered in her ear, the voice overwhelming her as she raised to wrap her arms around his feigned body. "Fang, I-" she began, only to feel the resonating warmth disappear from around her body, her arms holding only nothingness as her heart dropped from her chest.

"You're still a slacker, you know. Leaving us to do all the hard work after this," she spoke, an eased smile appearing as a gust of wind swirled around her in one last goodbye. Glancing back to his final spot, she tilted her head and took in a deep breath. Turning with a smile, she chuckled and wandered off in the direction she had appeared from. Nobody following her but the sun on her back and a smile imprinted in her mind.

Never to return to where a comrade's true devotion could ever be surpassed.


End file.
